How do I request a meeting in a cold email?

A lot of people think about writing an email to a colleague. But what if the recipient is busy or out of town on holiday when they receive it? Or not even responding at all? How do you communicate with them without sounding like a desperate salesperson?

An effective way to reach your target audience is through the use of cold emailing. This involves sending messages by email, often unannounced, to anyone who could be interested in hearing from you. It's one of my favorite ways to connect with new contacts.

Cold emails can come in many forms -- like requests for information, job offers, meetings, and more. They're also useful because they allow you to contact people directly and bypass any gatekeepers (like HR). And since they don't require approval before being sent, there's no need to worry about annoying co-workers or bosses.

Here we'll look at seven different types of cold email examples as well as some tips on using these to your advantage. As always, feel free to tweak these according to your needs. If you have other suggestions, please share them below!

This guide will show you how to create an effective cold email template so you can start connecting today.

How do you politely ask for a meeting via email?

The most important thing to remember here is to keep things simple. Don’t overcomplicate your message. Keep it short and sweet. Think about what would make sense to say, rather than trying to impress your reader with fancy words or phrases.

For instance, instead of saying “I'd love to meet with you sometime soon," try something simpler like "When might work best?" or "Do you have time next week?" These emails aren't just polite -- they're also very clear. That makes it easier for your reader to reply back.

If you want to give yourself room to explain why you're contacting them, go ahead. Just ensure that you only include relevant details. You should never reveal too much personal info unless you know your reader really well.

How do you nicely ask someone to set aside a few minutes for coffee?

You've probably heard the phrase "cold call" used quite frequently in business jargon. Cold calling is simply contacting potential customers / leads / clients outside of normal channels such as social media, networking events, etc. In order to successfully pitch anything, whether it's an offer or a product, you first need to find a lead. The easiest way to do this is to approach people already doing business with you. So how do you properly introduce yourself?

First, take note of what type of person you're targeting. Do you want to talk to someone who has experience working in finance, marketing, or accounting? Then consider which industry you're going after and what industries you currently market to. Next, learn their names and titles. Even better, find out where they live. Once you have this information, you can craft a personalized greeting card.

Your introduction should read something along the lines of:

Hi [name],

My name is __________, and I'm reaching out to see if I can talk to you briefly about our mutual interest in X. Are you available today? Let me know if you have time to chat.

Then once you hear back, follow up immediately. You may end up getting rejected right away, but if you wait long enough, sometimes people change their minds.

How do you ask for feedback on a project idea?

There are plenty of reasons why you might want to solicit input from others. Maybe you’re building a new app, website, or software program. Perhaps you’re looking for ideas on improving customer service. Whatever your reason, it pays to gather thoughts from those around you.

To begin, collect as many thoughts as possible. Then break down your list into smaller sections based off of common themes. For each section, pick a single individual out of your group (perhaps the smartest one) to act as the spokesperson. Explain the situation, then let him/her speak freely. Ask questions throughout, but leave space for the speaker to answer fully. Finally, summarize the discussion and conclude by thanking everyone involved for their participation.

Once again, avoid making assumptions about the audience. Instead of assuming they’ll understand everything about your company, focus on the specific problem itself. Make sure to tailor your wording to fit your audience. Otherwise, you risk coming across as condescending or arrogant.

How do you ask for help on a problem?

Sometimes life gets hectic. Between family obligations, work stressors, and everyday living, sometimes it feels impossible to manage everything alone. When this happens, it’s smart to turn to friends and family members for support. However, you still need to figure out how to effectively express your concerns.

Start by collecting as many facts as possible. What’s happening now? Why does it matter? Who else knows about it? How did it happen? Now that you’ve got all the necessary data, you can move onto the second step: brainstorm solutions. Come up with a plan to fix whatever issue you’re dealing with. Be open-minded, yet realistic. Remember that the solution doesn’t necessarily have to involve money. Sometimes small changes to daily routines can solve big problems.

Afterwards, wrap up your conversation by giving credit to whomever helped you. Thank them sincerely and tell them how much you appreciate their assistance.

How do you ask someone to join your team?

It can be difficult to convince a stranger to join your organization. After all, you haven’t done business with them previously. Still, you’d likely prefer having a new face on board rather than relying solely upon existing employees. To accomplish this, you must first build rapport with your target audience. Start by learning as much background knowledge as possible. Find out what kind of work they typically perform, how long they’ve been employed, and what skills they bring to the table.

Next, reach out to them personally. Send an e-mail introducing yourself. Follow it up with another e-mail inviting them to lunch. During your meal, listen closely to their opinions regarding your organization. At the same time, gauge their personality traits. Does their tone seem genuine? Is their body language relaxed or stiff? Use this information to determine whether or not they’re receptive to joining your team.

Finally, close the deal. Once you’ve built trust within both parties, lay out your proposal. Explain exactly what role they’ll play within your organization. Also describe their responsibilities. Once you’ve finished explaining, ask them if they’re willing to accept your offer. Offer to cover relocation expenses and provide references to prove your sincerity.

How do you invite someone to attend a conference?

Many conferences serve as valuable opportunities for professional growth. Whether it’s attending workshops, speaking with industry experts, or mingling with peers, these events can teach us a great amount of new information. Yet, they can also be expensive. Thankfully, you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars per year to attend a convention. All you need is a little creativity.

Before you reach out to anyone, compile a wishlist of speakers you’d enjoy listening to. Then cross check this list against similar lists from previous years. Search for upcoming events taking place near you. Lastly, search online for local businesses offering discounted tickets. From there, select two or three vendors you believe will deliver high quality content. Reach out to each vendor separately and inquire about sponsorship options.

Now comes the tricky part: convincing prospective attendees that your event is worth paying attention to. Your goal isn’t to persuade every guest to buy a ticket. Rather, you’re hoping to win over a handful of individuals who represent the vast majority of guests. Begin by crafting a compelling invitation letter. Include a brief bio of the organizer and mention past successes. Mention the value of your event and its impact on society. End your email by stating that you hope to see them there.

Lastly, schedule a phone interview with the winner(s), ensuring that you address all of their concerns.

How do you ask to book a meeting room?

One of the biggest challenges in running an office is finding enough workspace. With limited budgets, companies usually opt for shared offices. While this reduces costs, it creates extra obstacles. For starters, it’s hard to coordinate schedules between multiple coworkers. More importantly, sharing a physical space means dividing resources among several users. Therefore, you need to carefully plan your meeting rooms.

Begin by identifying areas of your workplace that are underutilized. Then decide whether or not you actually need certain spaces. Take stock of what works in terms of layout and functionality. Consider adding additional features (such as private lockers or corkboards) to increase productivity. Ultimately, you want to maximize efficiency while minimizing cost.

Whether it's an internal or external meeting, asking people if they're free is always the first thing you need to think about. If you don't have any idea when a person might be available, then there's no chance of scheduling anything with them! But what happens if your target isn't available right now but wants to meet soon? Or, even worse, does not want to respond at all?

If you can't tell whether someone will say yes or no to your invitation, the best way to go about getting something scheduled is by using one of these seven different meeting request email examples. They'll show you exactly which words to include in each sentence so you won't miss out on anyone who might be interested in hearing from you. The key here is to make sure you tailor every word carefully based on who you're sending it to and why.

Let's take a look at some of our favorite examples below. We've also included links to the original articles where we got these samples (and more). You should read those too because many of the tips and tricks apply across multiple industries. For instance, while "I'd love to chat" works well for business reasons, it doesn't fly as nicely as a personal message would. Use common sense and know yourself before trying anything new.

How do you ask someone for a meeting at work?

You might start off with a simple question like “Would you be able to spare me 5 minutes?” This could be followed up with something like “It’s important that we talk." If you really want to catch their attention, try saying things like “Can we set up a quick phone call tomorrow morning?”

The next step is to provide a clear reason why you want to speak with them. Something along the lines of “We haven’t had much communication lately and I wanted us to reconnect. It’s been a long day and I just needed to figure out how to better spend my afternoon.” Asking someone to join you for coffee or lunch is usually easier than asking them to attend a formal event.

How do you send a meeting invite via text?

A good place to start is with something short like “Hey [name], I was thinking about reaching out to see if you were around today. Would you mind grabbing coffee with me sometime?” Then add the following details after: “This week has been crazy but hopefully we can find a moment soon. Let me know if that sounds okay and maybe we can grab some food together.”

As far as phrasing goes, avoid phrases like “let me know if that’s possible” or “we could possibly fit this into your calendar” since they sound overly eager. Instead, stick with statements such as “it’d be great to connect,” “this could potentially help both of us,” “wouldn’t it be nice to sit down and chat?,” etc.

How do you politely suggest a meeting time?

When suggesting a specific date and time, keep things casual. Don't overdo it: “Hey, would Monday at noon work for you?” That makes you seem desperate and needy. Instead, focus on being friendly and approachable: “Hi [name]. It looks like you’re busy during the weekdays but I thought I’d reach out to see if we could get together for 30 minutes sometime. How does Tuesday 12pm sound?”

Note that this method only works if you already know the person. In other words, if you don't personally interact with this person often enough to have a relationship established, you probably shouldn't send a meeting request until you do. Also, consider adding an extra element of humor to the conversation. After you mention the suggested time, you can end your email with something fun like “Cheers,” “See ya!,” “Catch ya later,” etc.

How do you write a polite meeting request?

Once you decide whom you want to contact and what you want to say, writing it all down beforehand helps immensely. Keep everything focused on the purpose of the meeting, not the person. Focus on what benefits your company -- not you -- will receive from having this discussion happen. Try to stay away from phrases like “if I may” or “in case it wasn't obvious” because they come off as disingenuous. Instead, aim to communicate clearly and concisely: “Hello [Name]! I'm looking forward to catching up with you. Could we setup a brief 15 minute meeting later this month? I hope you still remember me from last year.”

Be careful not to put yourself in a position where you feel obligated to respond back within 24 hours. Remember that you aren't doing anything wrong by declining to participate unless invited, especially if you've received nothing else from the sender. So, if you don't hear back within a few days, move onto the next opportunity.

And finally...

Keep practicing! There are tons of templates online that offer dozens upon dozens of ways to craft a professional response to a meeting request. And once you master this skill, you can build on it further and learn how to create effective cover letters and LinkedIn messages. Checkout our full guide to crafting killer correspondence for more advice.

1. The “I’m new here, can you introduce me to your team?”

This is the perfect introductory email for someone who just got hired by your company. It's short, sweet and very professional.

"Hi [Name], my name is ____________ and I'm new to this organization as well. I was hoping we could schedule some time to talk."

If the recipient responds positively, continue on with the rest of the template below.

[Company Name] has been kind enough to offer their help whenever possible. How would you like us to start our relationship? Would you prefer one-on-one meetings or group discussions?"

You should also mention whether you'd like to set up recurring meetings or only occasional ones. For example: "We'd love to discuss ideas and learn more from each other."

And finally, ask if they'd like to know something about you (like why you contacted them). You can include information about yourself, such as previous work experience or skills. Be sure to keep things brief so that they don't feel bombarded.

The last step is to thank them for taking the time to read through your message. Don't forget to add a link back to your original contact page if you can.

When it comes to meetings, there's always the question of whether or not it will be possible. Sometimes your boss is too busy to meet with you on time (or ever), but other times they're just plain unavailable. If you want to make sure you'll have a chance at getting face-to-face time with your boss, then you'll need to know how to set up a meeting.

You can also try scheduling an impromptu one if you don't mind being late. Either way, you need to learn when and how to ask about a meeting so you can get one scheduled effectively. To help you out, we've collected some examples of different ways to approach making a meeting request.

How do you politely suggest a meeting?

The most common way of asking for a meeting is by sending an email, which means you should start by crafting a good meeting request email. The first thing you'll need to consider here is who you're going to send it to. You might think that everyone needs to read it, but that isn't necessarily true. In fact, sometimes people simply won't respond unless you specifically say "I'm requesting a meeting with X." And if you're trying to set up a meeting between two coworkers, you may find that only one person responds to your email. That means you'll need to tailor your wording depending on who you're addressing.

For instance, if you're looking to schedule something with your manager, you could go with something like this:

Hi [Manager Name],  It was great working together over the past few months. We'd love to continue our collaboration, especially as you look into new projects. Would you have any spare time next week where we could talk about the future? Best, [Your Name]

If you're reaching out to another colleague instead, you might want to tweak things a bit:

Hey [Colleague Name], it was really helpful talking through these issues last month. I wanted to see if there was anything else I could do to support you moving forward. How does Monday afternoon sound for us to chat? Thanks!

How do I send a meeting message?

Once you figure out who you're contacting, it's time to decide what kind of meeting you're after. Do you want to hold a phone call or video conference? Will you need to bring along documents or files? How much notice do you need? All of those questions must be included in your meeting request before you can move onto writing the rest of the email. Once you've got all that worked out, take a look at these sample meeting messages below.

Sample Meeting Request Email Template 1:

Hello [Name], It has been awhile since we spoke. I hope everything is well with you. I would love to catch up on my progress towards finishing the project. Can we grab lunch sometime soon? Let me know when works best for you. Thank you, [Me].

Sample Meeting Request Email Template 2:

[Employee Name]: Hey [Boss/HR Manager], I haven't spoken with you lately. Please let me know when you have a minute to check in. Thanks, [Me].

Sample Meeting Request Email Template 3:

Hi [Boss], I didn't realize you were leaving town until now. As you work on finalizing your plans, I thought I'd reach out to see if there's anything I can do to help you succeed. What days and hours would you prefer to speak during the day? Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Best wishes, [Me].

How do you ask someone to add a meeting?

Sometimes you'll encounter situations where no matter how hard you try, you just can't seem to get anyone to agree to a formal meeting. Maybe your coworker doesn't feel comfortable holding a meeting without their direct supervisor present, or maybe they just flat out refuse to participate. Regardless of why, you still need to keep trying. So even though you can't quite meet with your coworker right away, you can still try adding them to a calendar invite.

Here's what you might say:

As you mentioned, we haven't met yet. However, I had hoped that we could sit down and brainstorm ideas together. Is there a time that fits both of our schedules better than others? I'd definitely appreciate it if we could connect. My goal is to ensure that we stay productive throughout the year, so please give me a shout whenever works best for you. Cheers, [Me].

How do you ask for a meeting in a message?

Sometimes you may come across scenarios where your boss sends you an invitation to join them for coffee, but you aren't able to attend due to personal reasons. Even so, you shouldn't completely ignore the invitation. Instead, you should reply to show interest while letting them know why you couldn't make it. This lets them know that you're interested in continuing the conversation, and gives you more of a chance to convince them that you should actually make it someday.

This is how you can word such a response:

Thank you so much for inviting me to coffee today. Unfortunately, I was unable to make it because I was traveling for business. But I'm hoping to hear back from you soon regarding our discussion topics. Until then, happy holidays! [Yours]

And once again, remember to customize your email based on whom you're approaching. You might want to mention that you weren't able to make it, but include enough information for them to understand why. For example, you could explain that you missed the opportunity because you were attending a family event. Or perhaps you were sick or injured. Whatever the reason, you should aim to be honest and respectful. After all, nobody likes feeling used.

1. The \"I'm not sure if you're interested\" approach

The first thing you should consider when writing an introduction for a meeting request is what kind of response you might receive from your contact. While some people may be able to schedule all their requests within one day, others could take weeks. You can't afford to wait around forever for a response so try to anticipate the most common types of responses.

Yes — They probably won’t respond right away because they don’t usually like doing this, but once they realize it’s important to you they’ll say yes.

No — It’s unlikely that they would reject a meeting request outright even though they aren’t available for the requested date/time. In fact, many companies prefer to keep options open as long as possible by offering several different dates/times to choose from.

Maybe — This person doesn’t seem entirely certain about whether they’re going to be able to fit you into their calendar. Even if they say no, you still want to follow up with another email asking if they’ve changed their mind.

Probably Not — These contacts have already said “no” before you sent out your initial message. But rather than simply giving up hope, you can send a second round of emails trying to convince them again.

If none of these approaches work, then you can also try using a little bit of flattery. For example, you can tell your contact that you really enjoyed working together last month and that you were wondering if it was possible to reschedule for later in the year.